Fans recount the shocker the last season of Game of Thrones was and make a few predictions

As you read this, Game of Thrones Season 6 is done and dusted and its fans are preparing for a long cold winter: 10 months sans Tyrion’s witticisms, Arya’s killing skills, Cersei’s machinations and Jon Snow’s soulful intensity before a foreshortened Season 7 begins. (Spoilers ahead. If you’re not up to speed, stop reading now.)
Operations manager Ashutosh Rai has watched every GoT episode multiple times to catch hidden nuances. “You realise when Bran is pushed from the tower in Season 1 that here’s a show you can’t predict — not even lead characters are safe. The plot is so complex, you’re constantly trying to connect the dots to keep up.”
Season 6 has been described as ‘the’ whopper season to date. Take for instance the fact that no less than 38 significant characters died during its course from Rickon Stark to Wun Wun, the giant, and the High Sparrow. The story, moving rapidly towards its climax in the next 15 episodes has seen twists, turns and shockers. Long-standing fan theories are now confirmed (R+L=J), Jon Snow has gone from dead to war victor to king, and Internet memes about him abound (Jon #Targstark, anyone?). Even Apple’s Siri got into the act (“Let’s say there’s fire in this Snow”) when asked about his parentage.

Ghoulish deaths
When you think you’ve seen every form of horrifying death, S6 offers more: Walder Frey’s loutish sons are served up to him for dinner by Arya Stark a la Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. Then, you have Ramsey Bolton turning into a dog’s dinner, unimagined horrors suffered by Septa Unella at the hands of The Mountain. Diehard GoT fan and behavioural therapist, Chantelle D’Mello was less happy with S6’s violence levels. “George RR Martin doesn’t use violence for its own sake. This season, violence was used to move along every thread of the show. That felt excessive.”

Dearly departed characters, major shocks
Which character will be most missed? For Rai, it’s the High Sparrow. For D’Mello, Margaery’s departure means the loss of a Machiavellian character who might have been a match for Cersei. S6 most shocking episode? “The Hodor scene,” said Rai. “It put a new twist on the story.” For D’Mello, it’s Tommen’s suicide and Margaery’s death. “I didn’t see those coming.”

So, what about Season 7?
“The White Walkers will get past the Wall,” predicts Rai. Since the S6 finale saw Dany set sail for King’s Landing with a massive army, S7 points to her battle with Cersei for control of the Seven Kingdoms. D’Mello adds an interesting theory: “Daenerys and Jon will be the two dragon riders with one more hopefully revealed in the final season.”